Elum on Fire

By: Alamgir Khan

Elum is one of the highest mountain peaks of Swat. It is situated at the administrative boundary of Swat and Bunir. Due to its height, beauty and fame many interesting stories have often been told by the people of the area about it since long.

Once a man asked his friend, “Pirbaba is greater or Elum?” The man thought, “If I say Elum is greater,   Pirbaba is also not an ordinary entity, and if I say Pirbaba is greater Elum also has its greatness. At last he replied, “May God puzzle you as much as you have puzzled me”.

Another story is like this, “A man went to Buner and told the People there that he could lift Elum on his shoulders if he was fed on butter, chickens, cream, meat etc for three months. The People agreed.  At the appointed time the man was taken to the bottom of the hill to lift it. The man said confidently, “Put it on my shoulders”.

Elum is not only famous for the height of the peak; it is also one of the most beautiful valleys of Swat. People from far and wide come here to enjoy the tranquility of nature. It is located on a walking distance of four to five hours from Marghazar, another scenic vale of the region, serving as base camp for Elum top which is locally known as ‘Jogyano Sar’. It is said that Ramchandar Ji, a Hindu, meditated here. Every year in October a large number of Hindu pilgrims visit the place of his worship.

The whole trek has amazing and picturesque variety of natural beauty. At night sitting beside the stone and clay mosque half way up the trek towards the Peak in complete darkness and you see the full moon emerging slowly and majestically from behind ‘Halak Sar’, another peak opposite Elum, is a spectacle which can’t be described in words.

Besides nature another feature of Elum is its local inhabitants. You experience a rare glimpse of human simplicity, sincerity, and unique hospitality. They not only provide a place for the night but also butter, cream, ‘Mastha’ and ‘shomley’. They treat you like a guest. Their treatment refreshes your faith in humanity.

The part of the trek near the hut of Banjaar, a local entertainer, gives a breath taking view of Elum valley from a height of thousands of feet. It looks like a bowl made up of hills and green fields with scattered huts of the residents. It is just like a fairy dream land.

Climbing up the hill in the midst of forest trees with whistling sound of the leaves produced by the breeze is so refreshing and life giving. It is an experience of its own kind.

Reaching the top a vast green meadow spread like a carpet with the ringing bells hanging on to the necks of Buffaloes and cows grazing the grass welcomes you. The first look at all this stuns and then comforts and soothes you after a tiring and exhausting climb of more than five hours. It fills you with a new spirit of exploring the world of nature. It is a place where the most sinful of men can find himself closer to the Creator of all beauty. One wants to become a permanent part of all this. It compels you to come here again and again. And that is why we went there in August 2003 for the fifth time. But it proved to be our last visit.

There were no signs of the forest. It was virtually shaved off. Elum was left naked. How it shocked and tortured us is something which can’t be told. ‘A fire broke out here and lasted for two weeks’, was all that we could hear from a local man.